June 15, 1872.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
1023 
*** Ab notice can be taken of anonymous communica¬ 
tions. TFhatever is intended for insertion must be authenti¬ 
cated by the name and address of the writer / not necessarily 
for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith. 
The Proceedings of the Council. 
Sir,—Permit me to inform the Council that it is not only 
possible but usual for the deliberations of representative 
bodies, charged with administrative and executive duties 
only, to be conducted privately. 
Legislative functions, on the contrary, are properly exercised 
in public, but these are not within the province of the 
Council. Is it sufficient to quote the example of Boards of 
Directors, or does the practice of Committees of trades unions 
appear more to the point ? 
In reference to the proposed new bye-law, if anything so 
one-sided and intentionally offensive is brought forward, I 
shall move as an amendment, “ that security against a hasty 
vote can only be effectually provided by a general poll, at 
which the votes of absent members can be recorded.” 
A Member before the Deluge. 
June 1 \th, 1872. 
Clause 16 of the Pharmacy Act. 
Sir,—You have added 'a foot-note to my letter in your 
issue of June 1st, in which you say, “ Mr. Smith appears to 
overlook the fact, that the widow to whom he alludes was 
carrying on the business of a chemist and druggist on her own 
account, and that she could not therefore claim the special 
exemptions provided in the Pharmacy Act of 1868.” Per¬ 
mit me to ask in reply how I overlook this fact, when it is 
really the special grievance of which I complain ? Why is 
the public to be so tenderly cared for, that a widow who 
succeeds by will to a business which it probably cost her 
hasbanda lifetime to work up, should be mercilessly deprived 
of it by law the moment the law has declared that it is hers by 
law and hers only ? Clause 16 permits a trustee to carry on 
a business by means of a qualified assistant. Where is the 
justice of depriving a widow of the same privilege ? Is the 
inuch-cared-for public likely to get any better protection 
from a trustee, who perhaps only unwillingly consents to act 
from respect to the memory of a friend, than from the widow 
who, with a qualified assistant, has every reason in the world 
to conduct her business with a due regard to her own safety 
as well as that of the public ? 
Since my letter appeared, I have received communications 
from all parts of the kingdom (to many of which it has been 
impossible to reply), expressive of alarm and astonishment 
that the law is as defined by the Act; while personal and 
pecuniary offers of assistance have been made to me for the 
purpose of inducing a reconsideration of this insidious clause; 
and I feel sure, from the general expression of opinion, that 
the subject will sooner or later enforce attention from its 
inherent importance; meantime, many may die in ignorance 
and leave their widows in the position of my poor friend, 
who, in a letter to me this morning, concludes thus,— 
“ The more I think of it, the more cruel and bitterly un¬ 
just the law seems to be which drove me and my little ones 
from my home at-,” etc. I do not seek to draw atten¬ 
tion to this seriously important question in my own interests 
only, because they are provided for; but surely it cannot be 
ignored by those who have any one to care for or a business 
to leave. 
Wm. Fred. Smith. 
June 10 th, 1872. 
[*#* The hardship of the case referred to by Mr. Smith 
is undoubted, but the law on the point being perfectly clear, 
it behoves those who wish to avoid a sacrifice of their pro¬ 
perty to make such provision as to its disposition on their 
decease as will enable their representatives to avail themselves 
of the special exemptions provided by the Statute; this 
would be a much simpler way of meeting the difficulty than 
by agitation for an alteration of the law. Having said this 
much on the subject, we cannot again make reference to the 
particular case to which Mr. Smith alludes.— Ed. Pharm. 
JoURN.] 
The Sale of Poisons. 
Sir,—I attended a sale of chemists’ stock yesterday, of 
■which I enclose a catalogue. Amongst the stock I saw about 
Si pulv. opii, 3j morptiioe mur., siv tr. conii, *iij ext. 
conii, 5 iv. tr. canthar., tr. hyoscy., and many other drugs of 
the same class sold for one or two shillings for the sake of the 
bottles. 
Is it right that dangerous drugs should be thrown amongst 
the public in this indiscriminate manner ? I saw one child 
playing with a bottle containing pulv. cambogiaj, and spoke to 
one of the men in the place about allowing drugs to be about 
in the careless manner they were. The answer was, it was 
not his fault; he knew nothing about them. 
Is there nothing in the Pharmacy Act to stop such things, 
which are constantly occurring ? 
G. J. Girdler. 
June 6th, 1872. 
The Possibility of Effort. 
Sir,—I received last week a letter similar to many with 
which I am favoured, containing questions which are at once 
difficult and a most unwelcome task to answer. The whole 
relates to our Examinations, and a desire is expressed that 
a clear and lucid understanding as to what is required should 
be given. 
This particular topic has been so fully explained in the 
pages of our Journal, almost to weariness, that it may be 
dismissed with a simple reference to past numbers—the 
nature of the chief question will be best understood by the 
reply, which, as far as my light goes, I am constrained to 
make. I believe that when a young man has had but a 
scanty education, as evidenced by style of composition; when 
he is deprived of the aid and stimulus of local associations; 
when he has access to no lectures, and is guided by no teacher, 
and his sole help is derived from books, it is not possible for 
him to prepare satisfactorily for his examinations. I except 
genius—that can level Alps; and I am acquainted with the 
book of Mr. Smiles on triumph over difficulties; still, taking 
things on an average and the world as it is, we come back to 
the old narrative, “ Understandeth thou what thou readest? 
How can I understand unless some one teach me?” Let 
me not, however, leave the subject without trying to set 
something right. Students aided only by books often fall 
into error by selecting elaborate treatises for their instruc¬ 
tion ; hence they distract their minds in inextricable mazes, 
in which they detect no plan, and out of which they see no 
exit. Pereira’s Elements or Miller’s Chemistry are excellent 
adjuncts to the lecture-room, and specially adapted to those 
more advanced, but works of simpler character should be 
chosen at the commencement. These voluminous compen- 
diums dismay the tyro, they do him positive harm, and for 
all useful purposes a quiet dip in the Encyclopaedia Britan- 
nica would do as well. 
When a young man means to learn French, he conveys 
Moliere, Racine, Corneille, Bossuet and other classic writers 
to the river to which he is most contiguous; then he attempts 
to fathom the mysteries of £ La Bibliotheque des Families,’ or 
probably asks Hachette what are the manuals at present 
used in a French infant school ? So children learn; re¬ 
member, my hopeful correspondent, that when you or I 
approach a science we are nothing else. 
Joseph Ince. 
Provincial Pharmaceutical Education. 
Sir,—In the Journal for June 1st a letter appeared from 
Mr. Taplin, which, I think, contains the very best suggestion 
that has been yet made to meet a difficulty with regard to the 
above ; but I would append to it, that if it is carried out, 
assistants now passing for their examination, and apprentices 
already bound, shall be able to avail themselves of the plan 
proposed. 
I have great confidence, now my friend Mr. Schacht is 
elected on the Council, this very important subject will 
have their early attention, and that some satisfactory arrange¬ 
ment will be made to meet the wants of the assistants and 
apprentices throughout the kingdom. 
John Martin. 
Clcvedon, June &th, 1872. 
